At the time of the trading deadline the Celtics were mired in a slump, Bradley was starting to show signs of his shot coming around and Ray had cooled off and been fairly inconsistent for a while after his hot start.

I think the switch to Bradley starting was right around the corner, whether Ray hurt himself or not. His defense was becoming game changing and the bench needed scoring as the bench offense was anemic.

Also, Mayo wasn't exactly lighting it up either. As a matter of fact he was probably playing some of the worse ball of his career.

So it may not have taken a whole lot of convincing on any of the player's part or Doc's part to have Danny pull out of the deal. Bradley looked to be the future and his shoulders hadn't become a problem yet. Mayo wasn't looking so good and Doc was still convinced he could ride the core of this team for one more run.

So even though Mayo is having a breakout year, I don't believe anyone thought at the trading deadline that Mayo would be playing like he has this year. In the end, Danny did the right thing as the C's took Miami to the brink in the playoffs.

A lot of this is hindsight. We are evaluating the Ray trade with the knowledge that (a) he got hurt, and (b) Mayo blew up this year. But if anyone involved knew even one of those things, much less both, Memphis would have hung up the phone.

Also, count me as less than impressed even with Mayo's performance this year. He's shooting 52% from 3 this year after being at 36% the last two years, and I would bet his % over the next three years is closer to the career average than to 50%.

And, while he is a versatile offensive player, he showed last night that as a go-to guy in the clutch, he is also turnover prone.

But Ray Allen with bone spurs at 37 is better then 23 OJ Mayo fully healthy? Plus you give us a first rounder in a deep draft?

We took Miami to 7 last year and had them down 3-2 mostly in spite of Ray Allen. His defense and even his shooting were poor. He was missing free throws and shooting the worst percentages of his playoff career. Granted he was one one leg, but he was banged up and slumping while this deal was being discussed.

We might actually beat Miami with Mayo and then who knows against OKC. I mean they clearly choked in the biggest moments on the biggest stage last year.

The trade deadline last year was 3/15 and he went out 3/22. They knew around then he was having issues with the ankle.

Danny was going to do the deal for a reason - b/c it was a good deal. Otherwise he doesn't. Instead he didn't do his job which is to be the GM. Players play. Coaches coach. GMs manage rosters. Everyone got outside their roles and it came back to bite us.

A lot of this is hindsight. We are evaluating the Ray trade with the knowledge that (a) he got hurt, and (b) Mayo blew up this year. But if anyone involved knew even one of those things, much less both, Memphis would have hung up the phone.

Also, count me as less than impressed even with Mayo's performance this year. He's shooting 52% from 3 this year after being at 36% the last two years, and I would bet his % over the next three years is closer to the career average than to 50%.

And, while he is a versatile offensive player, he showed last night that as a go-to guy in the clutch, he is also turnover prone.

^^^Yes. How average Mayo looked last season is the only reason he was available. If the C's traded Ray who's to say KG doesn't retire? Too many other factors at the time of the trade to consider. Keep in mind that Mayo is playing for a big payday this season as well.

A lot of this is hindsight. We are evaluating the Ray trade with the knowledge that (a) he got hurt, and (b) Mayo blew up this year. But if anyone involved knew even one of those things, much less both, Memphis would have hung up the phone.

Also, count me as less than impressed even with Mayo's performance this year. He's shooting 52% from 3 this year after being at 36% the last two years, and I would bet his % over the next three years is closer to the career average than to 50%.

And, while he is a versatile offensive player, he showed last night that as a go-to guy in the clutch, he is also turnover prone.

I don't think that its a coincidence that Mayo blew up.

Maybe im giving Danny too much credit but I think these were his projections. So far he seemed to aggressively go after guys who have turned pretty impressive. Mayo, Harden, west and to a lesser extent Green.

The only one he made out on was Green and clearly he values him high with his new contract. We'll see if that projection is another good call on his part or not

I'm not really sure why so many people ran with the "Mayo killed the deal" story when the source was Donny Marshall. Honestly, this scenario makes a lot more sense. After the Perkins debacle, I could definitely see the vets (especially KG and Paul) not supporting another midseason shake up. And then when you factor in the fact the it would've been Ray in the trade - their one time brother - and I could see this being an issue behind the scenes.

I'm not really sure why so many people ran with the "Mayo killed the deal" story when the source was Donny Marshall. Honestly, this scenario makes a lot more sense. After the Perkins debacle, I could definitely see the vets (especially KG and Paul) not supporting another midseason shake up. And then when you factor in the fact the it would've been Ray in the trade - their one time brother - and I could see this being an issue behind the scenes.

Not sure what the "debacle" was. Were they worried that Mayo may need heart surgery this season?

First, it is not a given that Mayo would have resigned. He would have been fighting for the starting spot with Bradley last year, and if he had lost out, he might have walked, in order to find a situation where he could start and showcase himself for a bigger contract.

This is a big thing, I mean that's what he ended up doing with Dallas when the offers he got from the Suns/C's/Whomever didn't come in high enough.

Exactly. I think a lot of people get into the mindset that everyone should want to sign with the C's, but thats just not the case. This was a critical point of Mayo's career, where he needs to be able to showcase himself to show that he can be a star...and with Bradley in Boston, he had legitimate competition for the minutes to showcase himself.

I think in the long run, Lee's defensive ability will be more useful to our team than Mayo's scoring anyway.

If he can get his head straight on the three pointers, I agree. Otherwise, I am not so sure Lee will be seeing the minutes in the longrun.

Mayo withstanding...yup....Lee has good effort , I want him to be all that we hope... if he dosen't pick up/step up his offensive share, like Jeff Green as done in the next 4-5 weeks ....I believe Danny will trade him. ...good defense or not. Once AB comes back given his present output Lee may not be around.

A lot of this is hindsight. We are evaluating the Ray trade with the knowledge that (a) he got hurt, and (b) Mayo blew up this year. But if anyone involved knew even one of those things, much less both, Memphis would have hung up the phone.

Also, count me as less than impressed even with Mayo's performance this year. He's shooting 52% from 3 this year after being at 36% the last two years, and I would bet his % over the next three years is closer to the career average than to 50%.

And, while he is a versatile offensive player, he showed last night that as a go-to guy in the clutch, he is also turnover prone.

I don't think that its a coincidence that Mayo blew up.

Maybe im giving Danny too much credit but I think these were his projections. So far he seemed to aggressively go after guys who have turned pretty impressive. Mayo, Harden, west and to a lesser extent Green.

The only one he made out on was Green and clearly he values him high with his new contract. We'll see if that projection is another good call on his part or not

Well I mean part of a GM's job is to scout and analyze as many players as possible. Get a good red read on their skill-set and envision how it could translate over to their team with the current personnel they have in place.

Did you see how OJ was utilized yesterday? A lot of his plays were coming off screens just like we did with Ray.

If you can remember far back enough when Ray was in Milwaukee then you might see some similarities between present day OJ and early Milwaukee Ray. Ray ran point a fair amount of time for the Bucks back then. He handled the ball a lot. OJ looks like a poorer man's version of Milwaukee Ray to me.

I could see Ainge or anyone else drawing that comparison as well and thus envisioning a good fit for Mayo with this current Celtic's team.

Now obviously he wouldn't handle the rock as much as Ray back for the Bucks. However he could still do it some and he could definitely run off screens like we did with Ray.

Also with the way is shooting he could easily hit the WIDE OPEN corner threes that Lee and even Terry just aren't getting to fall.

First, it is not a given that Mayo would have resigned. He would have been fighting for the starting spot with Bradley last year, and if he had lost out, he might have walked, in order to find a situation where he could start and showcase himself for a bigger contract.

This is a big thing, I mean that's what he ended up doing with Dallas when the offers he got from the Suns/C's/Whomever didn't come in high enough.

Exactly. I think a lot of people get into the mindset that everyone should want to sign with the C's, but thats just not the case. This was a critical point of Mayo's career, where he needs to be able to showcase himself to show that he can be a star...and with Bradley in Boston, he had legitimate competition for the minutes to showcase himself.

I think in the long run, Lee's defensive ability will be more useful to our team than Mayo's scoring anyway.

If he can get his head straight on the three pointers, I agree. Otherwise, I am not so sure Lee will be seeing the minutes in the longrun.

Mayo withstanding...yup....Lee has good effort , I want him to be all that we hope... if he dosen't pick up/step up his offensive share, like Jeff Green as done in the next 4-5 weeks ....I believe Danny will trade him. ...good defense or not. Once AB comes back given his present output Lee may not be around.

I think Lee is the odd man out. Unless he starts hitting that shot. His defense is ok but he won't shut people down like Tony Allen would. As a result he hurts mire then he helps if he continues to miss so many shots.

Barbosa is basically the best backup "point guard" we have and I think he will continue to see minutes. Bradley will play if he is still the player from last year. And Jet was never brought into start. He was brought into play primarily against bench players and provide 2nd unit scoring.

Thanks to AB's injury and Lee's ineptness he hasn't really gotten to play the role we brought him into play.

We aren't playing five guards consistently. I could see Lee getting PT against the Heat when and if Wade draws two quick ones on Bradley. But only when AB gets in foul trouble do I see him getting run, whenever all our guards are healthy, with the way he is currently playing.

I will say that I think it might be hard for Ainge to move Lee after he supposedly took less money to come here. That could destroy a lot of goodwill with agents, future FAs, etc..

Dream trade is Lee, Fab Melo, and a first to Phoenix for Gortat. Don't see it happening but who knows... I read Gortat might get benched.

First, it is not a given that Mayo would have resigned. He would have been fighting for the starting spot with Bradley last year, and if he had lost out, he might have walked, in order to find a situation where he could start and showcase himself for a bigger contract.

This is a big thing, I mean that's what he ended up doing with Dallas when the offers he got from the Suns/C's/Whomever didn't come in high enough.

Exactly. I think a lot of people get into the mindset that everyone should want to sign with the C's, but thats just not the case. This was a critical point of Mayo's career, where he needs to be able to showcase himself to show that he can be a star...and with Bradley in Boston, he had legitimate competition for the minutes to showcase himself.

I think in the long run, Lee's defensive ability will be more useful to our team than Mayo's scoring anyway.

If he can get his head straight on the three pointers, I agree. Otherwise, I am not so sure Lee will be seeing the minutes in the longrun.

Mayo withstanding...yup....Lee has good effort , I want him to be all that we hope... if he dosen't pick up/step up his offensive share, like Jeff Green as done in the next 4-5 weeks ....I believe Danny will trade him. ...good defense or not. Once AB comes back given his present output Lee may not be around.

I don't think Danny is trading anyone this season, because they are underperforming. He will trade them, because it is the price he has to pay to upgrade the team (likely with a big man). So, I actually think Lee might be more likely to be traded if he picks up his game, than if he doesn't. Because as he is playing now, he doesn't have a whole lot of value.

First, it is not a given that Mayo would have resigned. He would have been fighting for the starting spot with Bradley last year, and if he had lost out, he might have walked, in order to find a situation where he could start and showcase himself for a bigger contract.

This is a big thing, I mean that's what he ended up doing with Dallas when the offers he got from the Suns/C's/Whomever didn't come in high enough.

Exactly. I think a lot of people get into the mindset that everyone should want to sign with the C's, but thats just not the case. This was a critical point of Mayo's career, where he needs to be able to showcase himself to show that he can be a star...and with Bradley in Boston, he had legitimate competition for the minutes to showcase himself.

I think in the long run, Lee's defensive ability will be more useful to our team than Mayo's scoring anyway.

If he can get his head straight on the three pointers, I agree. Otherwise, I am not so sure Lee will be seeing the minutes in the longrun.

Mayo withstanding...yup....Lee has good effort , I want him to be all that we hope... if he dosen't pick up/step up his offensive share, like Jeff Green as done in the next 4-5 weeks ....I believe Danny will trade him. ...good defense or not. Once AB comes back given his present output Lee may not be around.

I don't think Danny is trading anyone this season, because they are underperforming. He will trade them, because it is the price he has to pay to upgrade the team (likely with a big man). So, I actually think Lee might be more likely to be traded if he picks up his game, than if he doesn't. Because as he is playing now, he doesn't have a whole lot of value.

I'll go along with the "not alot of value" ...he is flat out disappointing. He shoots worse than dooling , at least it seems so.